Shine Me Home
by marlyp
Summary: Julie Taylor has been gone for 10 years. In her search for happiness she returns to Dillon and resumes her friendship with Tyra and Lyla. Main emphasis on the friendship of the girls. Maybe, eventually, Tulie.
1. Guide me far

**AN-My sister is currently rehearsing for a talent show and the song she is doing has stuck in my head. 'Out Here on My Own' by Irene Cara, from Fame. The lyrics, for some reason, have led me down this path. This goes out to Tora, Jen and Kami-sisters forever because family is where you find it. **

**I own not one single thing connected to FNL. If I had enough money I would buy Tim Riggins for my very own, but that is beside the point.**

A Texas sunrise was, by far, the most beautiful thing that Tyra could think of. It had nothing to do with the actual beauty of the moment, it was all about the memories. Week-ends at the lake with Tim, Jason and Lyla as they dreamed about their futures. Later on, waking up with Landry, happy in the future that she had achieved. Most of all, they reminded her of that long summer after Julie's graduation. That summer when Julie and Lyla had been her strength as often as she had been theirs. This particular sunrise was no different and Tyra was lost in her memories as she sipped her coffee on the back deck. The ring of her cell phone broke her from her reverie. Glancing at the name on the caller ID she was surprised. Flipping it open she said, "Hey, Mrs. Coach."

On the other end of the line Tami smiled at the nickname that Tim Riggins had bestowed on her all those years ago. "Hey Tyra, I hope I didn't wake you. I need to talk to you Hun, and I didn't want to miss you."

"Oh no, I've been awake for hours. Landry left for a business trip to Dallas at 5am this morning and his parents picked the twins up for their annual trip to Disney World. I'm just chillin' and enjoying the peace and quiet" Tyra replied.

"Well then, I'll just get right to it. Have you heard from Julie? She finished her last therapy session yesterday afternoon but none of us have heard from her since. Shelly said she left her a note saying that she was going home, but we haven't seen her yet and she's not answering her phone." Tami paused and Tyra could hear her struggling for control. After a few moments she continued "Shelly said that she's been looking at her scrapbook a lot. You know, the one you girls made that summer before she left for college. Do you think that could mean anything?"

An idea started to form in Tyra's mind but she kept it to herself. "I'll look into this for you. I'll call Lyla and we'll see what we can find out. I'll call you the minute I know anything."

She spent a few more minutes assuring Tami that everything would be okay and promising to keep in touch. When she finally closed her phone she went to the bookcase and pulled out her own scrapbook from that summer. On the cover was her favorite picture of the three of them. Julie was lounging in a lawn chair wearing Tim's rattiest Panther T-shirt and a battered straw hat. Lyla was in a chair beside her in one of her sundresses with a huge smile on her face and Tyra was sprawled on the sand in front of them in shorts and a tank top, raising a beer to the camera. They had just shared a toast with the guys and Tim and Jason's "Texas Forever" had been echoing across the lake. Every time she looked at the picture she could remember the exact feeling of that moment. It was the last day that the whole group had been together. Just two weeks later Tyra watched as Tim and Julie walked away from each other.

Tyra picked up her cell and dialed Lyla's number. An hour later she pulled into Lyla's driveway and honked the horn. Lyla came running out the door carrying a duffle bag and a small cooler. She threw her stuff in the back of the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. "Okay, let's go find Julie. Do you have any ideas if she isn't at the lake?"

Tyra shrugged "Hopefully that's where she is. If not, then we go to plan 'B'."

"What's plan 'B'?" Lyla asked.

"Heck if I know. Pray that we don't need it." Tyra drove for a few minutes in silence. "Hey, do you remember what made us start coming out here without the guys?"

Lyla smiled at the memory. "Yeah, I do. You were still in real estate school, I was home on summer break and Julie had just graduated….

_Tyra could barely understand what Julie was saying to her through all of the tears. "Calm down Julie and tell me what's wrong. Tell me where you are so I can come and get you."_

"_I'm at Tim's." Julie replied through her tears._

"_I'll be there in 10 minutes." Tyra flipped her phone closed and ran out to her truck. On the way to Tim's she spotted Lyla sitting in the park. Making a quick decision, she stomped on the brakes and came to a screeching halt in front of her. "Get in Garrity. Julie needs us." When Lyla hesitated, Tyra almost left her standing there, but something made her pressure the other girl into getting into the truck. "For Christ's sake Lyla get in , don't just stand there like a dumb ass. You're fixin' to make me mad."_

"Why did you even stop for me that day? Didn't you still hate me then?" Lyla asked her with a grin.

"Must have been low blood sugar because I can't think of any other reason." Tyra glanced over at her with a smile. "Best decision I ever made, huh? Well, except for Landry."

Lyla propped her feet on the dash and pushed her hair behind her ears. "Ya know, I don't even know where I would be now if you hadn't stopped that day." She absently pulled at some threads hanging from the frayed hem of her Levi's. "Do you remember what Julie and Tim were fighting about that day?"

Tyra thought for a minute. "I have no idea, could've been anything. It's funny, I don't remember why we were rescuing her but I remember everything else about that day like it was yesterday"

_Tyra pulled into Tim's driveway beside his truck. Looking over she could see all their camping gear still in the back of the truck and an idea popped into her head. "Wait here Jules, I'll be right back." She marched into the house to find Tim lounging on the couch watching TV. "Gimme your keys."_

"_What for?" _

"_Julie, Lyla and I are going camping and all the gear is in your truck. Don't make me hurt you, just give me the freakin keys and consider yourself lucky that I'm not asking you why she's out there crying and you're in here." Tyra stood with her hand out waiting for the keys. _

_Tim gave her a long look and decided that the best course of action would be to give in to her. He had seen that look many times before and it never ended good for him. Reaching into his pocket he tossed her the keys. She took them without a word and stomped out the door. "Change of plans girls. Get in Tim's truck, we're going camping."_

* * *

Julie sat on the end of the dock, lost in memories of the last time that she'd sat in the same spot. As hard as she tried, she couldn't think of a time since that moment that she had been truly happy. She had spent the last 10 years clawing her way to the top in the world of journalism and for the last 3 she had been a war correspondent for Newsweek. She had lived and breathed dust and death right up until the convoy she was riding with took a direct mortar hit. Along with her cameraman and two other reporters that she considered friends, Julie had lost her own sense of self. They called it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as if giving it a name made it easier to deal with. She had submitted to the therapy to make everyone happy, but she had been counting the days until she could go back to the spot of her last happiness.

Tyra heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled up to the camping spot. "Looks like we won't need Plan 'B'. Get your game face on Garrity."

"I'm with ya. Let's go save our girl." Lyla jumped out of the truck and grabbed the cooler. She caught Tyra's glance across the bed of the truck and without missing a beat she called out to Julie "Get your butt up here Taylor, the tent can't set itself up."

At the sound of Lyla's voice Julie snapped out of her daydream and turned to look behind her. When she saw who it was she jumped up and ran down the dock to throw her arms around her best friends. The next few minutes were a chaotic mess as all three of them tried to talk at once while they were hugging each other. When they finally realized that not one of them had been able to finish a sentence they erupted into laughter. By the time the giggles had subsided they all had tears streaming down their cheeks. After catching her breath and wiping her eyes, Tyra felt like she could actually get a decent sentence out of her mouth.

"Julie, call your mom. Don't argue with me on this one because I promised her you would call when we found you."

While Julie made the call, Tyra and Lyla set up the campsite. They had done it so many times that it was second nature and they could accomplish it without words. When Julie had finally convinced her mother that everything was okay she ended the phone call and let out a big sigh. Conversations with her mother still had the ability to reduce her to a small child. She went to help with the set-up but found the other two girls already settled around the empty fire pit. Without even thinking about it she plopped down into her favorite lawn chair just like she had never been away. As she glanced around she noticed the truck that Tyra and Lyla had come in. "Isn't that Tim's old truck?"

"Same one" Tyra told her. "We've all put so much money into fixing it that we probably could've had a brand new one by now, but we can't bear to let that one go. It's the official camping truck, so we all use it whenever we come out here."

Julie took another good look around and said "This place looks exactly like it did the day that I left. How is that possible?"

Tyra and Lyla exchanged a look and they both knew that they were thinking the same thing. They were wondering if they should tell her the whole truth. They had been friends for so long that words weren't needed for them to come to a decision. The whole truth and nothing but the truth would be told, anything else would be wrong.

"It's like this, we own the place. The whole 50 acres on this side of the lake. Actually we all own 1/6th of it." Lyla told her.

"What do you mean by 1/6th?" Julie asked her.

"Me, Jason, Tyra, Landry, Tim and you. We each own a share, for the last 6 years." Lyla answered her.

Julie was stunned, how could that be possible with out her knowing anything. "How can that be? Wouldn't I have to pay taxes or something?"

Tyra and Lyla exchanged another look, this one caught by Julie. "Just tell me, you've come too far to stop now."

"Tim pays your share on the taxes and upkeep. The land didn't cost us anything because it actually belonged to Buddy all along, so he just transferred it into our names." Tyra told her.

"Tim pays mine? Why would he do that?" Julie asked quietly.

"He does it because we all thought it was important for you to be a part of it but we knew you weren't ready to deal with any of it. We always knew you would come back, someday." Lyla told her.

"Yeah, we knew" Tyra said with a laugh. "You can take the girl out of Texas…"

Julie and Lyla joined in to finish the sentence with her "…but you can't take Texas out of the girl."

Julie shook her head in amazement. "All these years of phone calls and letters and you two managed to keep this a secret. I don't know what to say."

Tyra shrugged her shoulders and said "We didn't want you to feel pressure to come home." When she saw the tears spring into Julie's eyes she reached out to take the her hand. "Don't feel any pressure now, either. We're always your friends, no matter where you are."

"It's not that" Julie told her. "I just feel so guilty for staying away for so long. I was so afraid to come back, but now that I'm here I can't remember why. I've really missed you two. Whenever I was down and feeling blue, I would just close my eyes and think of this spot and that last summer. This place feels like home."

"Why did you leave? What were you so afraid of all these years?" Lyla asked her. "I mean, we always knew that it had something to do with Tim, but he won't talk about it and you've always avoided it."

"Apparently today is the day for full disclosure" Tyra quipped. "So, let's hear it sister."

Julie thought about what she wanted to say for a few moments before she spoke. Maybe it was the time to finally come clean. "I left Tim because I didn't want to be one of those girls who spends all their life trying to change a man. I didn't want him to change for me or because of me, that's not the Tim that I wanted to love. I wanted to leave Dillon and he wanted to stay, that's the argument that we had most of that summer, if you recall. What I never told you is that he offered to come with me." Julie paused and looked at the other two girls. When she saw the compassion and understanding in their eyes, she continued. "That's when I left, I just couldn't do that to him or to me."

"Well, Julie Taylor, I think that you have a time of revelations ahead of you. A whole lot has changed in the last ten years. Some of it is going to knock your socks off." Tyra told her. Sensing that Julie was close to being overwhelmed with the past, Tyra steered the conversation to safer places and the three best friends spent the rest of the day reconnecting.

**So, is there any interest in this story? I have to resist bringing Tim in right away because my original idea is to explore the friendship of the three girls. I have an ultimate destination in mind but I could take a few different roads. If you would like to see something specific, let me know and I'll try to work it in. **


	2. Help me through

_**Sorry for taking so long, but Real Life came and bit me on the behind. It's a rainy day in Missouri so I have some time to update. Hope you like it.**_

_Tami opened her daughters bedroom door and found Julie curled on her bed, crying quietly. "Julie, honey, what's wrong?"_

_Julie sat up to look at her mother and wiped her eyes. "I had a fight with Tim, again."_

_Tami sat down on the edge of the bed as asked "Was that him on the phone?"_

_Julie shook her head "No, that was Lyla, she and Tyra want me to go camping again with them."_

"_Well?" Tami asked. "What did you tell her?"_

"_I told her I didn't know if I felt like it. I'm supposed to call her back in a little while."_

_Tami was quiet as she considered her daughter's words. She reached out to smooth Julie's hair as she thought about how grateful she was that they had mended their relationship. "Julie, listen to me for a minute." When Julie met her eyes she continued. "Boys may come and go…" She held up her hand for silence when Julie started to protest. "I know you love Tim, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that I don't want you to look back on this summer with regret. Have a relationship with Tim if that's what you want but don't waste this opportunity to cement your friendship with Tyra and Lyla. Let them help you, Julie. Friendships are a powerful force of nature and they can carry you through the toughest times and they make the joyful ones even better." She leaned over to give Julie a kiss on the top of her head. On her way out of the bedroom door she said "Let me know if I need to pack you a cooler."_

_Julie thought about what she had said for a few moments before she reached for her cell phone._

That first trip to the lake had been one of desperation and confusion but the second one was the one that really started the tradition and put them on the road to their lifelong friendship. Lyla leaned back in her chair as she thought about all their trips to the lake. She gazed up at the stars as she listened to Tyra on the phone with Landry, explaining to him where she was and what was going on. She looked over and caught Julie's eye. "Who would have thought, right? Tyra and Landry with the two kids and a storybook romance." She shared a laugh with Julie at the expense of their friend. Tyra threw an empty cup across the fire pit hitting Lyla in the head and they all shared a good laugh as Tyra said good-night to Landry.

"Why don't you have the fairytale, Lyla?" Julie asked. "We've been expecting it for years. When are you and Jason going to admit that you're together for real this time?"

"I don't know. We've spent the last nine or ten years in and out of love. Well, you remember how we were that summer and then he just up and left to go on that trip with Herc." Lyla paused and thought about what she wanted to say. "That's how it was for about five of the last ten years. Every time we got back together he would disappear on another trip or something. It's been hard to trust him but we're getting there. Don't buy your bridesmaid dress just yet, but maybe someday. We love each other and we're taking it slow this time. That's enough for now."

_Tyra was finishing up her side work after a hectic lunch rush when her phone rang. She had been hanging out with Lyla for a few weeks now but the sight of her name on the caller ID still had the power to make Tyra feel slightly Twilight Zoney. When she heard what Lyla had to say the feeling intensified. "Jason is gone and I don't know where."_

_Tyra could only think of one thing to say "Camping it is then. I'll swing by and pick Julie up and we'll pick you up in an hour." _

_After Lyla agreed, Tyra called Julie and arranged to pick her up. The ride to the lake was spent in a strangely comfortable silence. The silence continued through the set-up and the other two girls were content to let Lyla set the pace. They spent the remaining hours of sunlight floating in the lake and listening to music. Tyra kept a close eye on Lyla for the whole afternoon, but held her tongue until the were settle around the fire pit in their usual places. _

"_So, let's talk about this." Tyra stated. Before Lyla could reply Landry drove up in Tyra's truck and walked to them carrying a case of Budweiser. He set it down beside Tyra and gave her a quick kiss. "This is from Tim. He said that you can't camp without beer." He nodded at Julie and Lyla "Ladies, have a good night." He turned around a headed back to the truck leaving the three girls to gape in amazement. _

"_I think that he's a keeper" Lyla told Tyra._

_Tyra just grinned at her as she handed each of them a bottle. "Don't think that you can change the subject that easily Garrity. Spill."_

"_I've known for a few weeks now that he's felt restless. He just kept talking about how he was feeling worthless and he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. I haven't been able to answer him. I just don't know what to say. Sometimes I feel like my loving him isn't enough for him." Lyla picked at the label on her bottle as she talked. "The note said that he was with Herc and that they would be back when they get back. What in the Hell is that supposed to mean?"_

"_Lyla, have you ever thought that he might actually need something more than your love? You know, all that 'man can't live on love alone' crap" Tyra told her. _

"_Holy Cow, Tyra's getting all literary on us. You better listen Lyla, this is a very rare occurrence." Julie said. She laughed at Tyra's scowl. "Now seriously, I think Tyra is right. Maybe you just need to take a step back and let him find his way back to you. You just need to decide if you still want to be here when he does find his way back."_

_Lyla was quiet for a few minutes as she digested what they had said. "You two are geniuses." She raised her bottle to Tyra. "I propose a toast to Tyra for being smart enough to stop and pick me up that day." They clinked their bottles and each took long swigs. _

"_Well, as long as were making toasts, here's one to the guys for driving us so crazy that we have to get together just to stay sane." Julie said. She looked across the fire to the other two girls and they all raised their bottles to the sky and shouted across the lake "Texas Forever!"_

Tyra finished her conversation with Landry and joined the other two girls at the fire pit. "Landry's coming tomorrow and he's gonna pick Street up on the way here." She chewed her bottom lip as she considered her next statement. "Julie, I don't know if they can get past Tim so you should be prepared."

"Tyra, quit worrying. I told you that I'm not going anywhere so I'm gonna have to see him sometime. It might as well be here, surrounded by friends. In fact, I think I'm looking forward to it, having us all together again. I know it won't be like it was but I love all of you and I need this. I need to be with all of you." Julie twirled some hair around her fingers as she thought about something she wanted to tell them. "You guys want to hear something strange? When I was trapped in that Hum-V, waiting for them to get me out, I closed me eyes and I could feel you two there with me. I kept hearing that song we were stuck on that summer. Remember?"

She was startled when Tyra jumped up and ran to the truck. She came back with an iPod and a speaker system. "Remember? Hell, that's still one of my favorite songs." She pushed a button and the song filled the warm Texas night.

**When I die I may not go to Heaven, I don't know if they let cowboys in. If they don't just let me go to Texas, Texas is as close as I've been. **

**New York couldn't hold my attention, Detroit city couldn't sing my song. If tomorrow finds me busted flat in Dallas I won't care, 'cause at least I'll know I'm home.**

**I'd ride through all of Hell and half of Texas just to hear Willie Nelson's country songs. Beer just ain't as cold in old Milwaukee. My body's here, but my soul's in San Antone.**

By the time the last chorus was playing all three girls were singing at the top of their lungs.

**When I die I may not go to Heaven, I don't know if they let cowboys in. If they don't just let me go to Texas, Texas is as close as I've been.**

As the girls dissolved into laughing piles, they were unaware of their audience on the other side of the lake. "God bless Tanya Tucker" Tim said quietly to himself. Julie didn't know it, but Coach and Mrs. Coach had kept him informed of Julie's life. He knew all about her PTSD and hearing her sing and laugh with the girls was music to his ears.

After the music faded away, Julie finally got the courage to ask about Tim. "So, I know he graduated and then went to Canada to play. What happened after that?"

Tyra answered her "He played in Canada for two years and then went to Japan for another two years before he blew is knee out. He's been back here for three years, coaching at the High School."

Lyla saw Julies look of amazement "Your dad gave him a great recommendation and my dad made it his personal mission to get him hired. He's done a great job. They haven't made it to State yet, but everyone sees it in the future." She paused and exchanged a look with Tyra. When Tyra gave her a little nod she continued. "Julie, he hasn't dated anyone in the last five years and before that they were all just casual flings. We just thought that you should know that."

"How do you know they were just casual?" Julie asked.

"He told me a few years ago that he has only loved three women in his life. Then he said it was just his luck that they would turn out to be best friends. Call me crazy, but I think he was talking about us." Tyra answered her.

Tyra and Lyla could tell that Julie had a lot on her mind as they banked the fire and prepared for bed. After Tyra had turned down the lantern, Julie spoke up. "It's funny, ten years ago I would have died before living in Dillon, Texas but now I can't imagine anything else. It's just too bad that it took me ten years to realize that, ten years and a lot of life lessons."

"Life's too short to live with regret, Taylor. Suck it up and drive on." Tyra said from her sleeping bag.

"That's nice, Tyra. Real supportive." Lyla told her. She was trying to be stern, but she couldn't hide the amusement in her voice. Typical Tyra.

"You're right. Tomorrow is another day and I promise that I am no longer going to live with regrets." Julie stated.

"Amen my sister." Tyra said.

Julie lay awake as the other two girls drifted off to sleep. She was thinking about what could happen the next day and she finally joined them in sleep with a smile on her face.

**I grew up in Texas and the campfire scene is an actual scene from my life. Drinking and singing with my best friends, it just doesn't get any better. My friend Jen gets the credit for the no regret vibe of this chapter. She is my own personal Amazon chic.**


	3. Sometimes I Wonder

Julie was shaken awake the next morning at 6am by Tyra. "C'mon Taylor, the sun will be up in a little bit."

"When did you become a happy morning person?" Julie groaned as she tried to turn over and cover her face with her arms.

"It's pretty scary isn't it?" Lyla quipped from the other side of Julie.

"Very funny" Tyra said as she unzipped the front flap of the tent. "You both have 5 minutes to drag your butts down to the dock or I'm draggin' 'em for you." She disappeared outside as Julie and Lyla rolled their eyes at each other. "Quit rolling your eyes and get a move on" Tyra yelled from outside.

"She may be happy in the morning, but she's still Tyra, the Amazon Queen of Texas" Lyla said as she pulled her shorts on and twisted her hair into a ponytail. "Let's go, I wouldn't put it past her to actually drag us down there. You know how Tyra loves a sunrise."

Julie followed Lyla to the end of the dock and flopped into one of the chairs that Tyra had brought down. She watched as Tyra fished a six-pack of Coke from beneath the dock and handed them around. "Okay, you're forgiven for waking me up at the crack of Dawn."

Tyra laughed at her and said "Shut up and enjoy the moment."

The three of them sat in companionable silence as the first rays of light broke over the horizon.

_Tyra was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the end of the dock as she gazed at the sunrise just appearing over the lake. She could feel Landry coming before she could hear him. That didn't surprise her, they had forged a connection in the last year. The only problem was that neither of then seemed to know what to do about it. Tyra silently lifted one side of the blanket and Landry settled beside her and wrapped it around them both. He was quiet for a few moments before he spoke. "Tyra, what are we doing?"_

"_What do you mean? We're watching a sunrise." Tyra replied._

"_Don't be obtuse, Tyra, it doesn't suit you. You know exactly what I mean. We've been dancing around this relationship for almost a year now but I still don't know what you want." He maneuvered himself so that Tyra was wrapped more in him than the blanket, she wasn't getting away easily this time. _

_Tyra let Landry hold her as she thought about what she wanted to say. "I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I want you, all of you, but I can't ask you to stay here in Dillon just for me."_

_Landry held her tighter and placed a kiss on the top of her head "I know you can't leave your mom and I would never ask you to. Dillon is good enough for me as long as you're here. When I finish school, I'll be back for good and then I'm never leaving you again. One of these days, you will be my wife."_

_Tyra tipped her head back to look into his eyes. "Is that a proposal?"_

"_Do you want it to be?"_

_Tyra thought about it as the sun burst over the horizon. In that moment she felt that everything was falling into place. "Yeah, I think I do. What are you gonna do about that?"_

"How many times have we sat right here and watched a sunrise?" Lyla asked softly.

"Thousands, probably" Tyra said as she let herself be pulled back to the present. "A few of my best moments happened sitting in this very spot. I think I actually have a butt print left in the wood from being here so often. Sometimes when Landry is gone for work I just come out here and think. Ya know, he proposed to me right here, way before we told you guys anything."

Julie wrinkled her nose at her friend. "You just think we didn't know anything."

Tyra tugged on one of Julie's braids as she got to her feet. "C'mon, the guys will be here soon."

Julie looked up at the two girls and told them "I'll be there in a few minutes, I just want to sit here for awhile."

_Julie caught Tim's gaze on her as she took a sip of her beer. "What are you grinning about?"_

"_Nothin' much, it's just good to see you smile" Tim replied as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. _

"_What are you talking about? I smile all the time." Julie teasingly replied, deliberately missing his point._

"_Not so much lately" Tim said with a touch of regret in his voice that made Julie wince with guilt._

"_So how are we gonna fix that?" Julie asked with all seriousness. "I like being happy and I like making you happy." She watched Tim's profile in the moonlight as he thought about what she had asked. She watched as he struggled to find the right answer, an answer that was so much harder to find than either of them wanted it to be. She touched his arm with her fingertips and took the cowards way out. "Let's just decide to be happy in the moment and let the future stay the future for now."_

"_Does that mean we can live for the here and now and enjoy the rest of the summer?" Tim asked and melted Julie's heart with the hope that she heard in his voice._

"_You betcha. You are going to attempt to make Jason pull his head out of his butt and I'm going to pretend that I don't know that Tyra is in love with Landry. You are going to mend your relationship with Lyla and we are all going to have a great summer." Julie said._

"_Is that all?" Tim asked her as he scooted closer to her._

"_Nope" Julie answered. "We are going to remember that we love each other and there is no place that we would rather be than right here on the end of this dock."_

"_Does that mean Coach will quit looking at me like he wants to boil me in oil?" Tim asked her as he wrapped his arms around her._

"_I can't promise miracles but maybe we can get it down to just a few growls now and then" Julie replied with mock seriousness before she dissolved into giggles._

"I'm such a coward" Julie muttered to herself. For about the millionth time she rehashed the conversation in her head and wondered if it had been a mistake. Would it have turned out differently if she had only been stronger? Would it have been worse?

"Don't go down that road Little Taylor, it's just a dead end" Tim's said from behind her. "I should know, I've been on it a few times in the last 10 years."

No one could read her mind like Tim Riggins and all the miles and years between them hadn't seemed to change that fact. "How do you know? I could be thinking about anything" she said as she turned around to look at him.

He didn't reply, he just looked back at her with that irritating, all knowing smile of his. The years had been kind to him and Julie found herself lost in his green eyes for a moment. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Julie found herself at a loss for words and she could see that Tim was having the same problem. She watched him take a deep breath before he spoke.

"Welcome home Julie. I've missed you." Tim held out his hand in an invitation for her to let him help her up from her seat on the end of the dock. "C'mon, there's a couple of guys up there that want to say hello." When Julie was upright he leaned closer and said in a slow drawl " We'll get to the important stuff later."

Julie swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to hide the shiver that his words had given her as she followed him up the dock.

**I am so very sorry that it took me fourty forevers to update. I can only beg forgiveness and promise a faster update next. Summer ending is a double sided sword...more time for writing but less time for play. This short one is for bdavisLoVeSlscott, thanks for giving me a prod. On a side note... Check out the Zac Brown Band and their new CD "The Foundation". It is awesome!! Stream it from their website,zacbrownbanddotcom. Jimmy Buffet meets Uncle Kracker, ha-ha.**


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